Rebels pin the Patriots

The West Lincoln wrestling team began its season at home on Tuesday night with a win. Coach Butch Ross and his wrestlers defeated the Freedom Patriots 42 â€“ 28 in their season opener.
After falling behind 16 â€“ 9 early, the team pulled together to secure their win. Dustin Hester, West Lincolnâ€™s 152 pound wrestler, said, â€œWe wrestled good as a team, but were a little out of shape.â€ Hester was one of five West Lincoln wrestlers to pin their opponent.
The match took a different turn at the 215 pound weight class when Daniel Smith decisioned his opponent to begin a rally by the Rebels. They won the last seven out of nine matches.
Coach Ross said, â€œFreedom is a well-coached team. They gave us a good fight. We looked a little rough around the edges, but the boys wrestled hard.â€
With this win, Coach Butch Ross improves his career wins to 195. The Rebel wrestlers will be looking to add to that on Saturday when they host a six man round robin tournament.
The matches will feature Smokey Mountain, Kings Mountain, East Burke, Chatham Central, Pisgah, North Gaston, and West Lincoln.
The tournament will begin at 10 a.m. in the West Lincoln High School Gymnasium.